handmaiden
noun
hand·maid·en
ˈhan(d)-ˌmā-dᵊn 
variants
or less commonly handmaid
1
: a personal maid or female servant
2
: something whose essential function is to serve or assist
criticism is not the enemy of art but rather its handmaiden—
Gary Michael
Gary MichaelExamples of handmaiden in a Sentence
the princess was intensely shy, and allowed only her handmaiden to enter her chambers
Recent Examples on the Web
Floridians are tired of being sacrificed to the gun lobby’s fanaticism and to the cynicism of its Tallahassee handmaidens.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 13 Dec. 2024
In Gilead, women exist in complete subordination to men, especially the handmaids, a class of women who are still fertile despite an ongoing environmental catastrophe that has decimated birth rates.
—Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 7 Dec. 2024
However, like the original, it’s also grounded in the paranoia, compromises, and drudgery that are the handmaidens of intelligence work.
—Andy Meek, airmail.news, 23 Nov. 2024
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)
After making her small screen debut aged eight, a 14-year-old Knightley entered the big leagues in George Lucas’s sci-fi epic, as a dutiful handmaiden to the pale-faced queen (Natalie Portman), who serves as her steely decoy.
—Radhika Seth, Vogue, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for handmaiden
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Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 13 Dec. 2024
In Gilead, women exist in complete subordination to men, especially the handmaids, a class of women who are still fertile despite an ongoing environmental catastrophe that has decimated birth rates.
—Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 7 Dec. 2024
However, like the original, it’s also grounded in the paranoia, compromises, and drudgery that are the handmaidens of intelligence work.
—Andy Meek, airmail.news, 23 Nov. 2024
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)
After making her small screen debut aged eight, a 14-year-old Knightley entered the big leagues in George Lucas’s sci-fi epic, as a dutiful handmaiden to the pale-faced queen (Natalie Portman), who serves as her steely decoy.
—Radhika Seth, Vogue, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for handmaiden
Cite this Entry
“Handmaiden.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/handmaiden. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
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